QUIRKY BUT COOL SUV-LIKE STYLE; GREAT PACKAGING
Walk up to the Fusion and you’re immediately struck by its size, or rather the lack of it. Smaller in the flesh than its SUV looks suggest, the Fusion is a member of Ford’s ‘New Edge’ school of design. Built on the new Fiesta platform (code: B226), the Fusion’s wheelbase is as large as the Ikon’s. It’s not as long but it’s much wider as well as taller.
Making use of vertical space, additional width and its considerable cabin-to-length ratio, the Fusion dedicates a large amount of its overall length to the passengers. The brave styling which is a mixture of so many elements won’t manage to please everyone and is sure to evoke strong reactions.
The overall shape is quite distinctive though and an intrinsic part of the Fusion’s personality. The snub nose is the Fusion’s most attractive part. It’s distinctly Ford with design cues and surfaces plucked from the Mondeo. The high cowl drops sharply down to a slot-like rectangular grille. The peeled-back dual-layered headlamps look superb and give the Fusion its distinct identity. The bumper and chin are deeply sculpted and the smart alloys and chiseled wheel arches are again very Mondeo-ish.
The Fusion sits high on tall 15-inch wheels, with a considerable amount of daylight between the wheel arches and tyres. The tall vertical tail-lights which don’t run all the way down to the bumper are the only distinctive feature in what is otherwise a bland-looking rear. A practical touch is that the tailgate drops down to bumper level which helps while loading and unloading. The U-shaped bumper with a ‘skid plate’ underneath looks quite SUV-ish.
The build of the car is typically European — it feels stiff and tough enough to take the hammering delved out by our roads. However, our test car came with an annoying rattle at the back and the rear doors felt loose, as if the car had been taken apart and put back several times. We hope we can put this down to pre-production glitches that will be sorted out before the car goes on sale.
The Fusion is built with ‘tailored blanks’ or steel panels which are thick only where they need to be. This gives strength without adding weight. However, tipping the scales at 1140kg, the Fusion isn’t exactly light for a car of this size but a lot of the weight comes from beefed- up components like the heavy duty suspension and high strength sections. The front suspension has MacPherson struts with tall offset springs for reduced friction. It features an extremely rigid sub-frame for support, and to isolate road harshness. The non-independent rear suspension uses estate-car-like springs under the floor as well as wide spaced dampers. This reduces intrusions into the loading or luggage bay.
The twin tube rear dampers use sophisticated valving which Ford has spent plenty of time tuning to achieve the optimal ride quality for Indian roads. The Fusion comes with ABS as optional but airbags aren’t even an option.